Mazal Tov! At the moment a new engagement is announced, family and friends unite in wishing the engaged couple Mazal Tov, and plans for the wedding are under way. This guide will help you prepare for this momentous occasion, following the directives of the Rebbeim of Chabad. Much of the material has been culled from the voluminous Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe in which he penned responses to questions and requests for blessings. This material has been gathered in numerous books on the subject both in Hebrew and in English, however it is presented here in a step by step guide.

A disclaimer should be made at the very outset; although the Rebbe instructed that these letters be prepared for publication and dissemination, nevertheless, the individual responses may be directives to that particular individual in a certain circumstance, and not necessarily a directive for all. Therefore in a case where one of these directives is in question, one should seek the advice and guidance of a Rav and a Mashpia. Nevertheless, we have presented these responses as a general guide, since in most cases these were the instructions and guidance offered by the Rebbe in numerous situations. This is borne out by the fact that the same instruction is presented in numerous letters, as indicated in the footnotes for those who wish to study the source material.

The Rebbe once said:

“In reference to minhagim in general and certainly in reference to wedding customs in particular, every detail is important because a wedding causes the revelation of the power of the Infinite through the establishment of a Dor Yesharim Mevorach (an “upright and blessed generation”), and since the revelation of the power of the Infinite is drawn down through the Nassi of the generation, therefore it is all important that one should conduct oneself with the minhagim of the Rebbe.” — Toras Menachem Vol. 10 p. 199.

We hope that the upcoming simchah be in a good and auspicious hour and may we soon merit that which it says in the Sheva Berachos, “let there speedily be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and the sound of happiness, the sound of a chosson and the sound of a kallah...” with the coming of Moshiach Now!

Acknowledgements

With deep gratitude to Hashem I present this Chabad wedding guide. It is with the fervent hope that this will help chassanim, kallos and their families prepare for the awesome occasion of a wedding, in which a new Jewish and Chassidic home is established.

I would like to thank; Dayan Levi Yitzchok Raskin, Rabbi Chaim Rapoport, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Garelik, Rabbi Noach Vogel and Mr. Benzion Hackner for their proofreading and most valuable corrections and comments.

Thanks to Kehot Publication Society for giving permission to reproduce the picture of the Rebbe on the front cover, the Maamarim of Lecha Dodi, and the text of the Blessings under the Chuppah.

A warm word of gratitude, to Rabbi Yonah Avtzon and Yosef Yitzchok Turner, for nurturing this book to fruition.

Special thanks to my wife Sarah and our children for their partnership in our joint shlichus. May we and all Klal Yisroel merit to make many Simchas all in good health, and may we all merit to celebrate these Simchas with the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days Amen!

Rabbi Nissan Dovid Dubov